You’ve just cooked a great meal for your family or hosted an awesome holiday party.
After all of the guests have left, you head over to the kitchen sink to tackle that enormous pile of dishes. You put on your rubber gloves and roll up your sleeves.
However, there’s just one problem:
The kitchen sink not draining. You have a clogged kitchen sink on your hands.
Now, those dishes will have to sit in the sink until you can get it fixed — which you know will make the process of cleaning them even more of a headache.
But why do these clogs happen in the first place, you ask yourself the question, my kitchen sink clogged, now what? You can look up ‘How to Fix Clogged Sink’ or you could call in the professionals!
What Causes Kitchen Sink to Clog?
1. A Buildup Of Grease
One of the nastiest culprits of an annoying, smelly kitchen drain?
Leftover cooking grease that someone (probably your spouse) accidentally poured down the drain while trying to be “helpful.” Lots of people collect excess grease in mason jars and don’t think twice about leaving them unlabeled — or leaving those jars by the sink.
One solution is just common sense. Move the jar away from the kitchen sink, and label it with instructions reminding your helpers not to pour it down the sink.
Or, maybe you’re the culprit, and you’ve accidentally poured leftover grease from a great meal down the drain yourself.
The issue is that, while yes, grease starts in liquid form, eventually it will turn solid, leading to serious clogs. If you’re stuck in a grease jam, mix about a cup of near-boiling water with a few tablespoons of salt. Let the mixture sit for about a minute, then slowly pour it down the drain.
Leave for about ten minutes, and you’re good to go!
In the future, we suggest getting rid of all that grease by simply tossing it in the trash can (for easy cleanup, reuse an old coffee tin.)
2. Human Hair
Lots of people think it’s much more convenient (and that it allows them to get a deeper clean) to wash their hair in the kitchen sink.
Sure, you might walk away with silky locks, but you’re likely also going to be faced with a kitchen sink clogged with hair.
You likely know from your shower drain that, especially if you have a lot of hair, it doesn’t take long for an enormous hairball to form in the pipe, since it gets trapped within the sludge already present.
So, in addition to being a pain, it’s also just plain gross.
First of all, invest in a sink drain guard for the next time you shampoo and condition. This will help you to trap your hair all in one place so that it doesn’t go down the kitchen sink drain.
It will also make cleaning easier.
If you have a hairball on your hands, you can use a drain snake to reach down into the pipe and pull out the mass. If you don’t have a drain snake on hand, you can use an unwound clothes hanger to get the job done.
To be on the safe side, we also suggest running some drain cleaning solution through your kitchen sink. Be warned, though: using too much drain cleaner can seriously damage your pipes.
3. Old Food
One of the biggest reasons for drain clogs?
You guessed it — large chunks of food. While we know that nobody likes touching wet food in the sink, sometimes it has to be done if you want to avoid a clog.
Or, you could always, you know, scrape your plates and pans into a trashcan to remove excess food before you put them in the sink.
However, sometimes people don’t realize which foods are the problem. Eggshells, coffee grinds, and baby carrots might fit down your drain, but it doesn’t mean they belong there.
But it isn’t just too-big chunks of food that can cause a problem. Believe it or not, even the stickers on your produce can cling to the drain and pipes and cause a clog. The same thing goes for excess medication.
Use a plumbing snake to get these pieces of food out of your drain, or use small amounts of drain cleaner. Never put bleach down your drain, as this can wreak havoc on the integrity of your pipes — and can lead to costly repairs.
4. Everything About Your Kids
If you have little ones living in your house, you know that the kitchen sink drain is hardly the only strange place where some of their toys (and your personal belongings) can end up.
You can try to explain why their Barbie doll’s hairbrush doesn’t belong in the kitchen sink all you want, but in their mind, it was only going for a swim.
Kids are creative — and while this is a blessing, it can also be a curse when it comes to your drains. Likely, this is a situation where you’ll need to call in a professional to pull whatever it is out of the drain.
To make things a little easier on your plumber, we recommend that you shut off the water valve first.
Call In The Professionals To Clear Your Kitchen Sink Clogged
While we hope that you’ve found our DIY solutions helpful, we all know that sometimes, you can get a seriously tough slow kitchen sink drain clog on your hands.
These aren’t the types of situations that you can — or even should — handle on your own.
When you’re faced with a challenge you can’t beat, we’re here to help.
In addition to helping you with your sink, we can also help with your sewer pipes, fix that annoying leaky faucet, and even take a look at any electrical issues that need attention.
In short, no matter the home improvement project or emergency you have on your hands, we’re here to get you through it. Don’t let those dishes sit in the sink for another minute!